


An Outside Perspective

by JustChuggingAlong



Series: The Ego Realm [3]
Category: Markiplier Egos, Random Encounters: Resident Enis (Web Series), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Actual cannibal Bim Trimmer, Blood, Cannibalism, Capybaras, Characters and relationships will be added with each chapter uploaded, Fluff, Gen, Implied Character Death, Insecurity, Killings, Kisses, M/M, Mutual Pining, Serious Injuries, Stealing, The Host knows everything, Vampires, Werewolf Bites, Werewolves, and is a huge shipping nerd, character death but he comes back to life, long talks, outside pov, relationships, stealing capybaras from the zoo, zoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-22
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2019-11-03 16:48:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17881532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustChuggingAlong/pseuds/JustChuggingAlong
Summary: "The Host is aware of a lot of things..."An outside perspective on the relationships of the egos' realm.1: Dark/Wilford2: Bim/Google3: Eric & Oliver4: Bing/King5: Mark & Enis6: Host/Dr. Iplier





	1. A Dangerous Duo

Their relationship varied quite a bit, depending on who was witnessing it. To the public, they were partners. The iconic duo. The two formidable leaders of the Iplier egos, the strongest and most dangerous group in the realm. The brains and the brawn of the operation. They ran the entirety of Markiplier Ego Inc., and they were good at it. 

You never would want to cross one of them, but if you got both of them against you, you were in great trouble. They were not only powerful, but _old _. Most egos only had the experience of several years. Those two have not only been egos for much longer, but they existed beforehand, in the _real _world. Many characters have never even been to the real world, and those two were _born _there.______

______All the outsiders know both of them as are partners. They barely know much about each of them individually, since Dark rarely leaves the compound, and people only know Wilford’s reputation as the maniac with a gun. But they've seen the videos, and some have been unlucky enough to personally gain their attention. People know how _terrifying _the two could be on their own. Combine them, and you have something terrible coming for you.___ _ _ _ _ _

________To the other Ipliers, the two were more than just business partners. They were old friends who have known each other for years upon years, and who have been through a lot together- more than the other egos could imagine. Those two have a bond unlike any other, and as much as the two quarreled, they were obviously close. Even the most oblivious of egos would know the two were best friends._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Dark could barely put up with Wilford. Wilford often got on his nerves and distracted him from important business. Wilford hated how much of a downer Dark could be and how he never liked to have fun. However, anyone will notice that Dark isn't nearly as strict with Wilford as with the others. He doesn't get angry as quickly and he is much more willing to deal with his shenanigans. Wilford, who is never patient with anyone, will wait for Dark and put up with his angst and gloominess._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The Ipliers knew Dark would listen to Wilford's ramblings, and be patient with his constant impulsive violence, and sometimes even crack a smile for the eccentric ego. They also knew that in turn, Wilford would try and cheer up Dark and pull him out of his constant gloom, and he would bring him food when he's been holed up in his office, and he’d drag him out during holidays and events. The two benefited each other a lot._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The Host is aware of a lot of things. In his constant narrations, he always knows what is happening around him. He is aware of the going-ons in the Mind Palace across the city, and that Logan is pacing his room, worrying about plans and emotions. He is aware of a frustrated Marvin struggling with a new spell over in the Septics’ place. He is aware of Dr. Iplier's small crush on him, of Bing always feeling inadequate compared to the others, of Bim currently hiding another corpse, assisted by Google Blue._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The Host is also aware of Dark and Wilford's relationship, and how much more it was than on the surface. Even on the outside they seemed close, but it was nothing compared to what they kept away from the prying eyes of the others. The Host is fully aware of the quick kisses, the hidden looks, the cuddling when they were alone, the hand-holding when nobody is around to see it. The whole other level of their relationship hidden from the world._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The one thing he noticed is how quiet they were. There were never any ‘I love you’s, or dramatic declarations of love. It was always small, silent things. Roses slipped to the other after a meeting. Comfortable silence while they both worked on two different things in the same room. Holding hands while they discussed everything but each other. Sneaking into the other's room for comfort after a particularly nasty nightmare._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He knew how deeply they cared about each other. That is easily what fascinated him the most. The two never care much for anything. Dark was too focused on his aspirations and the mission of Ego Inc. Wilford was too focused on himself, and he was far too flighty and inattentive to pay attention to one thing for too long. But the care and love they had for each other went a long way._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Never, ever, did they say anything about it to the others. There were rumours going around, of course. Even fans shipped them, and it was hard for the Ipliers to ignore their interactions. Even non-Iplier egos have been gossiping. Despite this, the two neither disclosed their relationship or tried to deny it. They just sort of let it and the rumours be. What Host really found interesting was how Wilford had managed to keep it down low for so long. The bright pink ego didn’t know a thing about being quiet, and was never much of a secret keeper. He was always bright colours, loud gossip, and in-your-face enthusiasm._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________That’s why the Host wasn’t necessarily surprised when the secret was finally revealed. However, it wasn’t Wilford’s big mouth that gave it away. In fact, it was actually Dark, which nobody ever would have expected._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Dark was having a particularly nasty day, which anyone would be able to tell. Host was the only one who knew it was because he had woken up half-paralyzed and in pain, and he couldn’t get help from Wilford, because he had already gone off for the day- the journalist had a lot planned and had left early. The Host ended up tracking down Dr. Iplier and informing him of the situation, and Dark had to accept Iplier’s help, as much as he hated that. He ended up having to use his cane for much of the day, and had locked himself away in his office all afternoon to avoid any interaction._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________That evening Google Green (now with a repaired arm) and Dr. Iplier had politely barged into Dark’s office and politely forced him to eat dinner with the other Ipliers who were still home. They had sat him down at the table between Ed and the Host while Oliver and Yan finished the stroganoff. He didn’t say anything, but the violent ringing and the lashing tendrils of his aura showed he was pretty unhappy. He was very tense and he looked ready to either bolt or kill someone at any moment. The Host knew he would snap if someone didn’t calm him down soon._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Luckily, their saviour showed up along with a kicked-in door and a loud greeting. Dark originally flinched when Wilford came bursting in, but when he saw the other ego, it seemed as if all that building stress from the day seeped out of his body. The Host could _feel _the relief coming off of Dark. With some difficulty, Dark pulled himself onto his feet and went over to greet Wilford. Wilford gave his usually happy hellos, but Dark wrapped his arms around the other’s shoulders and pulled him into a kiss.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The others were stunned. Wilford was stunned. The Host was slightly less stunned, since he knew everything already, but he was definitely surprised that it was Dark who eventually gave in. The Iplier egos erupted into chaos at this recent discovery, shouting variations of “I knew it!’ and “no way!” The Host, meanwhile, continued to sit there, narrating what was going on around him, with a big grin on his face._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	2. A Killer Duo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Host can't help but notice Google's odd interest in a certain game show host. All he needs is a little encouragement.

Bim craved attention. That, of course, was a common ego trait- every ego had a natural predisposition for an unsatiable thirst for attention and popularity. That in itself wasn't particularly surprising, considering attention from fans was their literal lifeblood. Bim, however, had it worse than others. Getting any sort of attention was something he truly desired, and it was a core part of his character.

Since the ego's creation all those years ago, he’s been striving to be the main focus. This was far before the Ipliers were powerful, when they were all scattered and unimportant. This meant that besides filming a Hire My Ass episode once every great while, Bim hardly got the attention he so desperately wanted and needed.

Now, he got it whenever and wherever. Ever since Dark had rallied the Ipliers and created something out of nothing, he'd gotten a regular spot on not only his own show, but in many of Wilford's major and minor projects, and sometimes even small cameos in the Jims’ segments. He tripled in popularity, and suddenly he had all this power that he didn't know how to use. It felt fantastic.

The Host had been silently observing Bim for a while, ever since the game show host first showed up only months after the Host was no longer the Author. Like many other Iplier egos back in the day, he had been wandering through the realm without anything better to do. The Host noticed the way he reacted to being the center of attention, and he saw how he was ecstatic after the huge popularity boost he got from Markiplier TV. Many of them disproved of it at first, but after it had been uploaded to Mark’s channel, it revived many of the smaller and forgotten egos.

The Host saw how often Bim tried to get approval from the other Ipliers. He glowed whenever he was complimented, and he was always trying to help Wilford and stay on the good side of everyone. When Wilford walked in on him with a dead body at the studio, he’d been devastated and humiliated. The others didn't really care. They killed others on the daily and Bim eating the corpses of his victims wasn't too out there. But Bim was so used to being the “good” Iplier, he didn't want something like that to be discovered.

After this event, Host saw how Google Blue, who never previously cared much for Bim, took an interest in the game show host. The android was very analytical and objective, observing things from afar and gathering information. Nobody noticed how his focus had shifted slightly to Bim. Nobody except Host. Blue would never admit why, but it was because Bim had suddenly become interesting. He was quite the character already, but nothing Blue hadn’t seen before. The robot already knew Bim killed people- that was a known fact, it was hard to ignore the missing game show contestants. However, this new revelation piqued his interest.

The original discovery had happened quite some time ago. By now, all the Ipliers knew about Bim’s ways and it wasn’t much of a surprise anymore to find him with blood on his hands and struggling with that grinder of his. In fact, Bim often got assistance from Blue. The other three Google bots weren’t as willing to help, but Blue was often the first to volunteer. He was a big help to Bim, having experience with this, and Bim had found himself actually enjoying Blue’s company.

The Host knew the moment the two fell for each other. For Blue, it wasn’t really an immediate thing. It started with that focus on Bim, and how fascinated the robot was by him. That led from silent observation to actively seeking out the other ego, in order to help him with things and hang out with him just for more information. Then, without realising, he started to hang around Bim just because he enjoyed being around the other, instead of for personal gain. Blue hadn’t even noticed his slow descent into this strange crush of sorts. For such a smart guy, he was oblivious to anything emotional or social. The Host, witnessing this from a distance, got increasingly frustrated with each passing day.

Bim on the other hand, was in deep trouble in a flash. He always was quick to fall for someone, and quick to realise it. He and Blue were both in the common room, along with several other egos. The two were sharing the couch and Bim looked up at Google, who was blind to the world except for whatever new thing he was researching. Bim knew immediately that he was screwed. The Host had been in the room at the time and had narrated that exact moment. The Host was glad he couldn’t see the glare Bim sent his way, because he knew it murderous enough to incinerate him on the spot. Luckily for Host’s safety, the other egos had mostly tuned out his endless mumbling that they were so accustomed to, and hadn’t really heard nor cared about what he had said.

It was such an incredible relief to the Host when Blue finally realised that something was up. Despite popular belief, he and the other three Google androids weren’t completely devoid of emotions. They all had a different emotional range, and none of them were quite like Bing, but they did feel things. However, Blue had never really experienced falling in love with someone, so he was completely oblivious to what those weird feelings meant. After extensive research, he did eventually figure out what exactly was happening. Upon his realisation, he had no idea what to do. Eventually the Host just went up to him, and after a lengthy interrogation/pep talk, he managed to convince Blue to suck it up and talk to Bim.

Host then let him be, but had been paying attention in the back of his mind to what Blue would do. The android almost ducked out several times, but eventually he convinced himself that this was the least worst thing to do. That evening he knocked on Bim’s door, and with some level of awkwardness, he made his confession. When Host found the two cuddled up on the couch the next day, he didn’t say anything. He only gave Blue a knowing smile.


	3. A Supportive Duo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver is worried about Eric and so comes to Host for some advice. He takes that advice in the worst and best way.

The poor man was always so terrified of everything. He was such a nervous guy, and he didn't really have anyone to fall back on. It was only him and his dad. His mom is gone, his pets are gone, all of his brothers are gone. When Eric first showed up in the ego realm with Derek and Randall, the other Ipliers were quick to bring them in. The problem is all of the egos range from slightly intimidating to terrifying for a regular person, so poor Eric who is already so nervous was extra scared of the group.

The Host tried to approach Eric several times. He was sweet, and very polite, but Host could tell he was ready to bolt. Host's bloody bandages and creepy grin didn't look very friendly, even though he was quite a docile ego, at least compared to the others or to who he was as the Author. He tried his best to be kind to Eric, but he knew his appearance was off putting to others. Every time a new ego shows up, it takes so long for them to be comfortable around the Host. Even if they aren’t really scared of him, people generally think he prefers to be alone, which is true sometimes, but isn’t always the case.

After several months, Eric had started to warm up to some of the friendlier and less intimidating characters. He got closer to Randall, bonding over being two new egos. He started trailing Silver Shepherd, as well. Shepherd was an eccentric ego, but he was still a superhero, and he was more than happy to let Eric stick by him. Eric got closer with King as well. He loved hanging out with King's squirrels, although he’s still too afraid to touch one of them.

Another ego Eric began to get along with well was Oliver. He still actively avoided the other three Googles. Blue was too intimidating and calculating. Red was all explosive anger and shouting. Green was friendlier but a bit too withdrawn. Oliver, however, was incredibly nice to everyone and always friendly. The other three were slightly baffled by this, since Oliver, just like Green and Red, are extensions of Blue, yet his personality is very different. Oliver was a great person for Eric to stick with because he was just so nice.

Oliver had sort of taken Eric under his wing. Just full on adopted him. Something about Eric made Oliver ditch any common sense he has in order to take care of this nervous young ego. He’s the one who first showed Eric around the compound, and even now months later he’s the main guide for him. Eric had grown much more comfortable and confident in that time, but being a new ego he often didn’t know how things worked. The rules of the realm were wonky and hard to get used to. Oliver helped Eric with that.

The best thing for Eric about joining the Ipliers was that he got more time away from his father. Derek misses his family terribly, and he doesn't truly want to put Eric down like he does. That doesn't excuse his actions at all, however. Eric being a part of a larger group where it's more than just the two of them gives him the opportunity to avoid his father. And there's nothing Derek can do about that- he's a brand new, bottom level ego who none of the others care much for. If he complains, chances are he'll be shut down fast.

One day Oliver came to Host to voice his concerns about Eric. Not that he had to say anything. The Host could hear his quiet worries from a mile away. Worries about just how nervous Eric is. It's not normal, he said. Ipliers have a reputation of being overconfident self-centered. Eric was the exact opposite of that. That's not to say he should be like that, but a little more confidence wouldn't hurt.

The Host gave his advice. Eric needs someone to comfort him, a friend. He already got that with Oliver and some of the others, but there was one thing he was still the most nervous about. Animals. He was terrified of approaching any and all animals in case something bad happened to them because of him. The Host suggested getting Eric some kind of animal companion. It wouldn’t snap away all of Eric’s problems, but having a pet would help him get over his fear of being near animals. Plus, having an animal who would love him unconditionally and bring comfort to him was exactly what he needed. A support animal of sorts.

After the talk with the Host, Oliver had a bright idea for what to get for Eric. It was actually an awful idea, but the Host wasn't going to mention that. It's only a bad idea if it doesn't work. That evening Oliver got Bing and Red and they took a field trip to the zoo. 

It was a massacre. Well, not really, nobody was harmed, but they did successfully break into the zoo. It wouldn’t have been the first time an Iplier had done that, but it never was this destructive. That was a consequence (or rather a benefit) of bringing along Red. Red was the only robot with built in weapons. You could hear the explosions all the way at Ego Inc.

Oliver had stolen Eric a capybara.

He, Bing, Red came sprinting into the main building hauling the rodent just as the Ipliers had finished dinner. The others had no idea why those three had been missing from the dinner table, and they didn't answer any messages asking where they were. Now that they've come running into the house with a living, breathing capybara, the others had some idea of where they could’ve been. Like breaking into the zoo, perhaps.

Dark was not happy. He and Blue ranted at the trio for a good twenty minutes. Oliver had deposited the capybara beside The Host during this time. It was snuffling around his feet, making a soft chirping noise. Eric, who had been silently terrified the moment the three came in, edged closer to the calm creature, looking at it with curious eyes. It was a strange animal, shaped like a large guinea pig with strange feet and large toes. It was generally calm despite the mild chaos around it.

Dark was demanding they take it back, but Oliver was adamantly refusing. The other two didn’t entirely care. Oliver never actually told them why he wanted to steal a capybara. They both only agreed for the fun of it. It was risky enough for Bing to be interested, and Red rarely got a good excuse to blow things up. He was the one who installed his own weapons and he loved being able to use them.

Oliver told Dark and Blue that he had brought the capybara for Eric. Eric, who was sitting next to the creature too scared to touch it, flinched when he heard his name, glancing up. He was surprised anyone would do something for him. An exasperated Blue tried to explain that Oliver can’t just blow up the zoo and steal a capybara, but he was hardly listening.

Some of the Ipliers understood what Oliver was getting at. They had also seen how anxious Eric was. The only trouble was, where are they supposed to keep it? There was a lot of room on their land- they had the entire forest at their disposal to make room. However, capybaras need a lot of water to stay healthy, and the hot, dry climate of their realm was a huge jump from its natural habitat.

Oliver was determined. The Host knew that after coming all this way, the android wasn’t about to give up. Eric, meanwhile, was almost amazed at this. He couldn’t imagine someone going so much out of their way just for him, and yet Oliver had _stolen him a capybara _, argued with Darkiplier himself about it, and is now determined to build a pen and a water hole for this animal. Eric was touched, and also about to cry. He was terrified something will happen to this kind creature, but he leaned over and wrapped his arms around it, before standing up and tackling Oliver in a hug.__

__Everyone’s arguments immediately died down. There was no way they can get rid of the animal now. The Host felt everyone’s opinions shift at once and couldn’t help but smile. Of course Oliver’s crazy idea worked. And to be fair, a capybara was probably the friendliest, most chill creature out there. Exactly something Eric would need. He was incredibly grateful, if a bit worried about the other animals at the zoo. Oliver assure that nobody was harmed, but Host knew that some ostriches and a lion had gotten out and were causing some mild panic in the city. Oh well, that’s a problem for another day._ _

__Because right now, Eric has a pet capybara. He named her Caramia, and he and Oliver were even closer friends than before._ _


	4. A Weird Duo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bing is feeling down, and King just wants to help out.

There were a lot of odd pairs in the realm, but Host didn’t think any of them got odder than those two. It’s not that they were bad for each other. It was the opposite, actually. It's just the both of them individually were the weirdest people in existence, and when they're near each other that just sort of amplifies.

Bing was a loud, meme-loving android who does stupid things like helping blow up zoos for fun. He’s a robot who is more human than any of the other egos. He makes dumb decisions and gets himself hurt in the process, and he can be straight up annoying at times. Yet he’s bold and risk-taking and he speaks up against the strong egos, the ones in power, which is really not an easy thing to do. Despite the general opinion, he is quite competent. He just chooses to have fun and enjoy himself.

King is a peculiar man who spends most of his time outside with squirrels rather than in the house with the others. He’s much happier around his subjects and the wildlife than he is around his associates and acquaintances among the Ipliers. He’s shy and skittish, but when worse comes to worse he can be ruthless. He’ll protect his subjects and friends and stick with them through thick and thin. He’s the hardiest of the egos, living with the animals in the forest and enduring nature’s elements.

Weirdness wasn't actually a bad thing, especially not in the egos’ realm where there's no such thing as normal. Where being weird is the normal. But these two were out there. They were the type of weird where it was no longer thought useful. Where instead of their unique skills being considered benefits, they’re instead disregarded and ignored. When they are by each other they just encourage each other's oddities. They are comfortable enough around each other to be able to be themselves without fear of being criticized.

King was an old ego, one of the first. But until recently, he was barely even counted as an ego. He was more on that line between an ego and just Mark. But his appearance in Markiplier TV made him more than that. It separated him and gave him a form, a unique face. He'd been there since the start, though, hiding out in his forest. The Host was the only one who ever saw him. Of course, he was the Author at the time, and a lot less kind to the king. The Host didn't really like looking back on those days.

Bing was a much newer ego, created not even two years ago. A very large difference from King's six years. From the moment of his creation, he was considered the “lesser” of the robots, although that is far from the truth. Google had needed that upgrade for a reason. Blue was slow, clunky, and old, always glitching and falling behind. His upgrades were meant to be an improvement on himself.

When King is around Bing doesn't have to worry about proving himself. King is such a kind person and friend and never once does Bing think that he doesn't like him. King has similar feelings about Bing. He’s extremely introverted and uncomfortable around other people, just being happy with his squirrel friends. But Bing is easy and fun to talk to, so he's happy to come out of his shell for the robot. They care for each other a lot, that was super obvious. They were really close friends and they’d basically do anything together. 

They weren't actually in a relationship. Not yet, anyways. The Host did detect some romantic undertones there, but they were far off than that. Which is fine, of course. Everybody gets into these things on their own time. For now, they were better off as they were, as best friends.

The Host knows Bing has been feeling extra down lately. Host would try to help, but Bing is usually very skittish around the Host. It's stupid and Bing knows it's stupid, but to Bing the idea that this guy knows all his secrets terrifies him. The Host can understand that. At least it's not because he looks scary, which is usually where others’ fear comes from. The bandages and the silently observing and the bloodstains on his coat. But Bing couldn't care less about Host's appearance.

Bing doesn't really have a reason to feel down like he does. Outside of the occasional incident, things have been relatively calm in the realm. He was just in one of his periods of ill feelings. Everyone had times like that but Bing usually gets it worse. He has to deal with constant belittling from the others and as a more emotional character, he takes it pretty hard. The trouble is he never _says _anything about it, so nobody else has any sort of idea about Bing's worries.__

__King was one of the few egos who wasn’t scared of the Host. King was old and had been there since Host’s original creation, and had witnessed his transformation from the Author firsthand. The Author had been awful to King. As the only ego Author ever saw, aside from the occasional visit from Dark, King was often the subject of Author’s aggressions. When Author wasn’t terrorizing minor figments, he was likely finding a way to harass King. Now though, King and the Host were close, and the Host knew he could trust him to take care of Bing._ _

__So Host went to King. He didn’t tell him everything. Bing would tell him only what he wanted, and it wasn’t in the Host’s right to squeal. But he did inform King that he may want to talk to the android, because all Bing really needed right now was a friend. Someone to just sit with and have a nice long conversation with._ _

__When Host informed King of Bing’s plight, King said that he had also noticed something was up. The ego is an incredibly perceptive character and he picks up on things easily. However, he hadn’t wanted to go to Bing directly. He was worried he was wrong in his assessments, or that Bing wouldn’t want to talk to him, that he’d come to him on his own if he wanted to talk. King just needed the tip off from Host to take action._ _

__For such an emotional guy, Bing was really good at hiding his feelings. He’d be all bright on the outside, his normal bold and audacious self with his typical loud bravado. Yet his head would be running with about a billion worries. Variations of “I’m not good enough,” or “I’m just going to mess up.” It’s incredibly hard to pick up on if you weren’t the Host, but King, who easily knows Bing the best, figured it out._ _

__King asked Bing to come with him out into the forest in order to talk with him alone. Bing was kind of nervous. He wasn’t out here often, and the forest was a dangerous place. On top of the usual wildlife, it was also full of werewolves and strange beasts that prowled in the dark. The only thing comforting Bing was the fact that King and Wilford had created a magical barrier surrounding King’s domain. But that was years ago, and magic fades over time. At any moment, a particularly powerful creature could break through._ _

__Of course, if they were attacked, they’d be fine. When killed, egos reform. Their lives depend on popularity, so they can’t be killed by other egos or animals. That doesn’t make dying _fun _. Bing knew that from experience.___ _

____Once they were far out and in a particularly peaceful spot in the forst, King sat Bing down. He didn’t need to ask if he was okay, or how he was feeling. He already knew the answers. So instead King just talked to him. He told him about how much he makes him happy. About how much he loves his boldness, and how much fun he is, and that he loves when Bing gets over his fear of the forest in order to visit the squirrels with King. He told Bing about how kind he is, and how he’s such a good person to be around. He told him about how he cares about him, and that he’s glad he’s his best friend._ _ _ _

____King spent about twenty minutes just talking about everything he loves about Bing. King was never a talkative ego. He was content with just saying his usual lines. But when it came to Bing, he had a lot to say. Even when he was done with his rant, there was so much left unsaid. But all of that will have to come later. All Bing had to know right now was how thankful King was for him._ _ _ _

____Bing didn’t say anything once the whole time King was speaking. He just sat there silently, staring at the ground. At some points King was worried he had just shut down, because he was staying so still, but then he’d lean closer and he'd hear the whirring of his fans and the clicking and ticking of the complicated machinery underneath his skin. When listening to Bing’s sounds, or looking at his glowing eyes, it was clear just how inhuman he was. But King was happy with that. Why did it matter if Bing was a robot if he was such an amazing person either way?_ _ _ _

____After that day they didn’t talk much of it, but Bing seemed much more relax. A minuscule change unseen by anyone else, but King saw it, and that was enough._ _ _ _

____The Host noticed it too, of course. He notices everything. But he didn’t mention it to them or anyone else. That had been their moment to savour, and he wasn’t about to ruin it._ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had some trouble with this one. I kept backing off and coming back to it, but I finally finished it! :) I actually started working on this one before chapter 3, but it just took some time.


	5. A Tentative Duo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enis and Mark's relationship isn't the best. After their musical on Random Encounters, it seems like there's nowhere to go from there. But some unfortunate events during a camping trip might bring them closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty YALL this one is based off Random Encounter's Resident Enis musical SO even if you don't want to read this chapter which is all good you should still watch those two videos because they're pretty h e c k i n g fantastic that is all

Random Encounters was huge. Easily the biggest group in the realm, a product of eight years of musical making. The other three top dog groups- the Septics, Ipliers, and Sanders Sides combined didn't even come close to the manpower of Random Encounters. They mostly consisted of fun original characters and wonky takes on pre-existing video game characters.

They also had a huge range of personalities. Every ego group had their own quirks and reputation, but with all the characters that Random Encounters had, it was completely impossible to really peg them all as one type.

Unlike several other Ego groups, they didn't stay together on one property. There were far too many of them for that, and they didn't have a set leader or game plan either. They are grouped together but many of them haven't even met each other. Typically they stick with the other characters in their own musicals.

One of these musicals being Resident Enis. A two video series following two humans trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world full of monsters, and their sparkly vampire friend Enis.

The Host has ran into the crew several times and rarely does he have a good encounter with them. Mark is terrified of him, and when Mark is scared of something, he attacks it before it can attack him. That's how he survived in Monster Gulch. The Host reminded Mark too much of the magic users he'd come across, most of them with ill intent. Dodger is on the opposite end of the spectrum. She couldn’t care less about the Host and although he definitely irked her, she often just disregarded him and generally undermined his abilities.

Enis is the one Host could get along with. He’s bright and weird and never stops talking. His magic is wonky, and his grip over his vampiracle powers is almost deplorable. But he has a certain hardiness that Host has come to respect.

The interesting thing to watch between them was their interactions. Dodger and Enis got along great. They were almost best friends, and it was hard to find one without the other. Dodger and Mark worked great together as well, and Dodger was one of the few people Mark could truly stand. However, Mark and Enis was a different story.

Almost every single one of their interactions involved frustration from Mark and as a result mild discouragement from Enis. Enis kept trying to befriend the survivalist but it never seemed to go in his favour. However, there was a certain tenderness you couldn't ignore. They barely got along, but they did at least care about each other. Maybe not as friends or anything, but you can't survive monsters and fight bandits with another person without gaining some sort of respect for them.

Even after several years their relationship remained stagnant. It seemed to be almost lodged in the position the original musical had placed it in. In part, that wasn't there fault, since egos stuck to their nature. However, retired characters had a sort of freedom that active ones didn't have. Without the development and story arcs from their creators, they had the opportunity to make their own choices there. So Enis and Mark could really get over their mild animosity at any time. It was just hard for them to get that wheel fully unstuck.

Or rather, hard for Mark.

Enis wanted to be friends. And it's not that Mark disliked him. He just still had a strange distrust of Enis being a vampire, and had difficulty connecting with literally anyone. It was all so cliche. Feeling the hostilities in the air around the two didn't feel right. As if at another place and another time they would have actually been friends. Unfortunately, they weren't in that place and time. They were here in the ego realm, now.

Host knew this was one of the times he should stay out of it. When it was his friends among the other Ipliers, that was one thing. Even then, he never truly intervened. He’s given people nudges in the right direction, or helped out whenever necessary, but he never inserts himself directly and tells people exactly what to do. The best way for people to learn was by experiencing things for themselves. These two weren’t even Host’s friends, so he had no reason to interfere, nor did he want to.

Nobody said he couldn’t watch from a distance, though. Observing from the sidelines was something he was good at.

He knew the exact moment something kick-started the process. All three of the Resident Enis crew were out in the forest. A camping trip, Enis and Dodger insisted. Mark, meanwhile, was less than willing to go on this trip. He knew of the dangers of the forest. Every ego and minor character of the realm did. The werewolves dominated much of it, but there were also other creatures. Other mythical animals, wild Pokemon leftover from Pokemon-related videos, normal yet dangerous wildlife like mountain lions, and the occasional eldritch beast.

The forest was the only part of the realm that really reminded Mark of Monster Gulch. Everywhere else is different. The whole realm is populated, with buildings and civilization. The weather is different, too. It was usually mild or hot no matter the season, and very dry. Monster Gulch, meanwhile, was humid and foggy, the air musty. With how hot it could get, it felt like you were boiling in a pot of water. Here, they weren’t even in danger of dying anymore. They just came back.

But to Mark, something was off about the forest. With all the monsters, and the danger lurking at every corner, it was a bit _too _much like Monster Gulch for his taste. He wasn’t the only ego who avoided the forest. Most of them did, for a variety of reasons. The Host never understood what all the fuss was about. He, and most of the Ipliers, didn’t really mind the forest. Perhaps it was the knowledge that nothing in there could kill a man like their colleagues could. Nothing was scarier than another Iplier.__

__Nothing eventful happened while the group was setting up. Yet while the other two were calm and unworried, Mark remained on edge. It seemed like their time in Monster Gulch affected him a lot more than his partners._ _

__Things were going decently, until the sun began to sink lower into the sky. They all sat in relative silence. Dodger was humming some song as she set up the fire, Enis was drawing something in the dirt with a twig, and Mark was glaring at the trees. They stayed there like that for a while, until they heard the sound of a twig snapping in the woods. Enis didn't react, and Dodger only glanced up, but Mark was on his feet in less than a second, with his machete out. There was a moment of uneasy silence, then everything went to Hell._ _

__Out of the trees leapt four humanoid creatures. They were covered in dark fur and had long snouts like dogs, and razor sharp teeth. Werewolves. A pack had found them, and now had them surrounded._ _

__One of them launched at Mark and he slashed at it with his machete, but it didn’t do much damage. He dodged as another one tried to jump on him. To his right, Dodger was fighting the third one. He heard a yelp from behind him and spun around. His heart almost stopped when he saw Enis on the ground, the fourth werewolf standing over him. It let out a snarl and lunged at Enis’s neck, but it never got the chance to bite down. Mark charged the werewolf and barreled into it, knocking it off the vampire. In response, it gave a ferocious growl and shifted its attention to Mark. The last thing he saw was stained teeth coming right at his face. He blacked out._ _

__The Host was there when Mark reformed two days later. He’d appeared by the Random Encounters studio, as all if their characters did. He seemed disoriented, looking around him with cloudy eyes. He spotted Host and his eyebrows creased. “I died, didn’t I?”_ _

__“The survivalist let himself get killed by a werewolf to help his friend.”_ _

__There was a pause as he frowned. “He’s not my friend.”_ _

__Host gave him a grin, the same one that unnerved so many people. “The Host isn’t so sure, but it isn’t his decision to make.”_ _

__Mark had let theatwerewolf get to him rather than Enis. Even with the knowledge that Enis is a vampire, and he can’t die. It had completely slipped his mind too at the time that he himself also would just reform when he died. In that moment, he had been in Monster Gulch again. And he had been completely willing to sacrifice himself for Enis._ _

__“Mark!” Both of them turned to see Enis and Dodger. Dodger had stitches across her forehead and Enis looked completely unmarred. Any injuries Enis may have gotten had healed over. The Host took that as his cue to leave._ _

__And if something changed between Mark and Enis, and they began to call each other friend, well, that was nobody’s business but their own._ _


	6. A Contented Duo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Host figures that maybe it's time to focus on his own relationships. Like with a certain doctor, for example.

For years the Host has been witnessing all of these relationships in the realm. He saw all of the things happening and he was a back seat passenger in everybody else’s experiences. His narrations were incredibly useful. Although he is fully blind, he can still ‘see’ because of his own words guiding him. They give him this extensive knowledge of the world around him. He could know what was happening at any given time, if he so pleased. Unfortunately, every powerful ability had its unfortunate side effects.

The Host rarely had time to focus on himself and his own relationships. His knowledge encompasses so much outside of himself. He felt he shouldn’t bother with himself when he has the world’s knowledge at his disposal. In his mind, there were so many more important things to focus on.

Which is why he never really knew what to think of his fellow Ipliers. He had his opinions of each of them and got along with them with varying success, yet he didn’t really have anyone to truly call his friend. He knew so much about others, but nobody knew anything about the Host. He was already a mystery to the Ipliers, and basically a myth to other egos. Any knowledge about his is common facts. He began in a Cyndago skit. He used to create the future, and now he only tells it. He is one of the oldest Markiplier egos.

But who is he as a person? What are his favourite books to read? What are his nervous habits? What food does he prefer? What about the deeper things? Like his philosophies in life, or his biggest regret. What about his happiest moment?

Nobody knew anything about the Host. He was just an enigma who nobody really seemed to understand.

Well, there was always Dr. Iplier.

The Host had an interesting relationship with Dr. Iplier. He cared a lot for the doctor, and the two were basically best friends. The Host had been the Author when Dr. Iplier first showed up in the realm, and had only been several months old, but he didn’t meet him until a couple months later when the doctor had to make the trek into the forest because King had hurt himself weeks before and needed regular check-ups. Dr. Iplier ran into the Author on the way back from one of these check-ups. Their interaction had been interesting to say the least.

The Author almost immediately took the opportunity to try and freak out Dr. Iplier. He’d blocked out the sun and shifted the forest from its peaceful daytime look to a creepy, horror movie vibe. The doctor could tell something was up immediately and stopped in his tracks. He was a bit spooked, but wasn’t completely intimidated yet. He had heard about the writer who lived out in the forest, and who kidnapped minor figments to use as characters in his stories. Dr. Iplier would be intimidated, but he was just another Iplier, right?

The Author spent time playing with Dr. Iplier. At the time, he was scared to actually hurt the doctor. His knowledge wasn’t as extensive at the time, and all the Author knew was that all the Ipliers he has met, besides himself, were surprisingly powerful. He hadn’t known the extent of Dr. Ipliers abilities. He was afraid that if Dr. Iplier got angry, The Author would end up regretting it. Of course, at the time, Dr. Iplier could barely even be considered an ego. This was before he had first appeared in that Cyndago skit- when he was just a vague sort of figment created from Mark’s Surgeon Simulator videos. Similar to Dark, who was nothing more than a fan idea, although significantly less powerful. But the Author didn’t know this.

So instead of harming the young ego, he just screwed him over. He made him lose his way, and made aggressive yet mostly harmless monsters appear in his path, and made him disoriented and confused. Eventually he just abandoned him, getting bored. He had more important things to do- there was a character in his possession who showed some promise. A friend of the Author’s very first character, when he first debuted in Danger in Fiction.

The Author would come to regret going after that character. As the Host, he felt that it was good that those events transpired that night. It turned him into a better person, and created a better character- The Host. However, at the time, the Author had been devastated. His characters turned on him and he was left injured and bleeding on the floor of the cabin. In his pain, he had ended up ripping out his own eyes- and thus began his transformation into the Host.

King was the one to find him, following the sounds of screams coming from another part of the forest. Author had never been kind to him, yet the king had ran to get Dr. Iplier.

Which is when the doctor truly entered into Host’s life.

Dr. Iplier had been there for him. He’d assisted him through his gradual recovery and helped him adjust to his injuries. He had been there when Host first discovered his powers of narration more than half a year after the incident. They’d been with each other through the growth of the realm and they’ve stuck together through the Ipliers’ rise to power.

Dr. Iplier liked the Host a lot. Host knew that. Yet he didn’t know his own emotions towards the doctor. With everyone else’s feelings filling his head, how in the world was he supposed to discern his own? He’s gotten better at sifting through all the information he received, but sometimes it could get to be too much. All he knew was that he enjoyed being around Dr. Iplier.

Wilford was the first one to approach Host about it. Could it really be called approach? Wilford was the first one to storm into the library and force Host to actually think about his feelings instead of just ignoring it for another time. Host had been enjoying a nice afternoon reading at the time and was really not prepared for the bright pink ego to break his door off of its hinges and yell at him about Dr. Iplier. The conversation mostly consisted of Wilford gushing about how excellent of a couple the two would be, and him telling Host to get his shit together and to man up. “Think about it, Hosty! You can have a rich doctor boyfriend!”

Google was the one to come up to him next. His advice was delivered in a much more calm and collected way, with a lot less broken doors.

“I am usually unable to discern emotions well,” he had said. “Correct me if I am wrong, but it appears to me that you have feelings for Dr. Iplier. I am here to tell you to do something about it like you told me to.”

The Host knew where this was going. Gradually, rumours about the Host spread across the compound. He knew at any moment it could reach Dr. Iplier. He couldn’t let that happen.

So the Host took Dr. Iplier aside for a talk. “The Host has something to say. He would rather Dr. Iplier hear it from him rather than anyone else.” Host was usually a very confident ego, yet something about this was very hard for him. “The Host… has feelings, for the doctor. And he knows the doctor has similar feelings for the Host.”  
Dr. Iplier had seemed surprised at first. In shock, even. But once he got over it, he opened his arms and pulled the Host into a hug.

“It’s about time you said something,” he muttered. “I don’t know what I would have done if you didn’t. What took some long?”

Host pulled back and gave Dr. Iplier a grin. “The Host just needed some help.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here it is!   
> I may do something similar in the future focusing on other egos, not the Ipliers. I might do something with the Sanders Sides and Jack's egos. However that's a fat MAY and MIGHT.  
> Anyways I hoped you enjoyed!


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